Mr. Falcon's 2009 Plan (Pt. 2 -- The Outfield)

Obviously the big question is whether we bring Manny Ramirez back. He was an absolute revelation last season after his deadline pickup. I mean the guy OPS'd 1.232 in 187 ABs. That included 17 jacks. He also was a beast in the playoffs crushing another 4 HRs. It should also be mentioned that he might be the most entertaining player to have dawned the Dodger blue in decades. That being said, he's 37 and looking for a multi-year deal. Everyone's favorite agent Scott Boras reps Manny and has been spouting bile regarding a 6 year deal. Neither the Dodgers (nor any other team) will be offering that manny years (italics = pathetic hilarity). However, I fully endorse Ned dropping deal in the range of 4/$90-100MM. Manny's bat is just more valuable to us than nearly any other team that could afford him (maybe other than the pathetic Giants lineup).

Also, Andruw Jones will likely be on the opening day roster. He will be making a huge salary ($22MM backloaded) and untradeable. His OPS last year simply read "holocaust" on mlb.com (I'm still waiting on a return email for exact numbers). I'm not even sure what I want out of him next year. Assuming we sign Manny, I don't really want Ethier/Kemp losing playing time to this Hitler from Curacao. However, an AJ resurrection combined with Manny could be diabolical.

Happy trails Juan Pierre. I have hated you, hated you, and sometimes even fucking hated you. You might actually be moveable now that your contract is only a grotesque 3/$27MM. We'll have to eat some money, but at least it's possible now. The Red Sox were able to offload Coco Crisp to KC and there seemed to be decent interest from other teams. I recommend that we jettison Feival for anything. The Reds might be interested as they were seeking Crisp to fill a CF/leadoff role. Dusty Baker likes terrible baseball players and nobody has ever accused Juan of "clogging up the bases." I don't really care what we receive in return in this two pump salary dump.

Also, we can’t forget that shaved Yetti Adam Dunn is a free-agent (And yes, he he leads the league every year in BRONERS created in Br!an’s pants). Every year Dunn can be counted on for 40 HRs, .380 OBP, and below-average defense. Dunn was said to be looking for around $15MM per year, but some have theorized that the tough economy and strong OF free agent class (Manny, Ibanez, etc…) could cut that number in half. I don’t believe that Dunn’s price will drop below $12MM per year, but he would be a steal at that price. Obviously, any speculation on Dunn is contingent on the Manny situation. However, if Dunn can be gotten for around 3/$40MM it could free up a substantial amount for a front-line starter.

Recommendation = Resign Manny and hope AJ can do anything before his contract is gone

Prediction = I think this one will actually happen